Rolls-Royce hybrid stealth engine helps conceal armored vehicles

Aiming to make armored vehicles stealthier, Rolls-Royce is using this year's Eurosatory defense trade fair to debut a new concept hybrid diesel engine that not only makes tanks and such more efficient, but easier to hide.

Stealth doesn't just apply to high-tech warplanes and submarines. It also applies to land forces as well and has since rifle companies started dressing in green jackets to blend in with the foliage. Today, in a world brimming with satellites, drones, and ultra-sophisticated sensors, much more advanced ways of staying hidden are needed.

One example of this is the hybrid diesel engine concept developed by Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems division as part of the company's expansion of its mtu engine program for military land vehicles. The concept is a 10-cylinder variant of the mtu Series 199 that is used by NATO forces and which Rolls-Royce claims is the best-selling tank engine in its class.

According to the company, the new mtu hybrid drive concept puts out more than 1,100 kW (1,475 hp) and is designed to do more than improve road mileage like its civilian automotive counterpart. The battery-electric drive is also intended to provide armored vehicles with much more electric power to run future systems, including energy weapons like lasers. It's fully integrated to take up as little space as possible inside the vehicle as well as staying within increasingly tight military budgets for specific projects and a desire for larger armor fleets.

However, the party piece of the new engine is that it's very good at stealth. The company claims that the hybrid engine provides armor with better camouflage by allowing vehicles to sit under cover with the diesel off while systems are powered by batteries instead of the idling engine. This makes the vehicle much quieter and greatly reduces its heat signature. It also reduces fuel consumption, which improves mission range.

Another advantage of the new engine is that at low speeds it makes the vehicle quieter, especially when coupled with Rolls-Royce's new customized silencer. In addition, at higher speeds, kicking in the electric drive along with the diesel juices up the acceleration.

"This propulsion concept will expand the operational possibilities of future tracked armored vehicles in a way that was previously hardly imaginable," says Christian Wolf, Head of Development for Military Engines and Systems at Rolls-Royce Power Systems. "We are convinced that we are making an important contribution to the further development of the defense capabilities of NATO and its allies. For the first time, vehicle manufacturers will be able to realize completely new vehicle concepts, whereby the hybrid concept can in principle be implemented with any engine series from the mtu military propulsion program."

Source: Rolls-Royce